Ch.182Chapter 7. Crisis into Opportunity (6)

Whoosh.

The wind blows at the harbor.

A young man in a black suit standing outside on the deck was quietly staring at the screen on his tablet.

“Even though damage occurred in Korea, they are Russians. They shouldn’t be tried in Korea.”

“When you think about it, isn’t it Sejong Academy’s fault for failing to manage their students? They shouldn’t have turned students into demons in the first place. What kind of education were they providing?”

“I’m suspicious of this Dueoksini entity itself. It’s supposedly a Korean monster? This is a weapon created by the Korean government, a Korean conspiracy to mass-produce demons even at the cost of harming their own citizens…”

“Insane.”

The young man couldn’t help but curse.

“Although they say he’s lost all his abilities, we don’t know if that’s true or not. Even if he became a demon, he’s my brother. I will rescue my brother and bring him back home.”

“If he’s become an ordinary person, hasn’t he already paid for his crimes? He lost his abilities. Then we should treat him not as an ordinary person but as a disabled person. The Korean government is oppressing a disabled person.”

Most of the videos and audio he was watching and listening to consisted of criticism, condemnation, and slander from various governments regarding the Dueoksini incident.

There was no need to dig through trash in a garbage can, but the young man needed to check what these people were saying.

After all, they were the mindset of potential “enemies” he might have to face in the future.

“So this is where you were, oppa?”

“…You’re here?”

A woman in a suit who called the young man “oppa” approached him with a can of coffee.

“What are you watching again?”

“Foreign reactions.”

“Why look at that stuff? Just deal with them directly. People who illegally enter our country to try to take our prisoners are villains, plain and simple.”

“True. But I’ve been thinking about why they would do such things.”

The young man accepted the can of coffee with a somewhat complicated expression.

“Among them, there must be people who genuinely believe their family members are being unjustly harmed.”

“Seriously. You worry about everything. You’re not some saint, why care about such things? You’re not even part of the World Union.”

“Hey.”

“My name’s not ‘hey.’ It’s Kim Yoon-ji. At least call me by my code name.”

“Thunder Empress.”

“…Ah, you’re really getting on my nerves.”

S-class hero, [Thunder Empress] Kim Yoon-ji gathered electricity at her toes and was about to swing at the young man.

“Want to taste my Thunder Kick?”

“Stop it, that hurts.”

“You haven’t even been hit yet.”

“Even if I won’t get hit, charging electricity and roundhouse kicking someone isn’t polite.”

The young man, [Battle God] Lee Jun-young, waved his hand to the side to create distance.

“Save your strength. If the intelligence is true, we might have to face at least five S-class heroes.”

“Would they really come? How long does it take to get from Busan to Sejong Island?”

“S-class heroes can attack in that short moment. What if they suddenly open a portal and jump out?”

“Wouldn’t that one be on our side?”

Kim Yoon-ji shrugged nonchalantly.

She appeared carefree, but her blue glowing eyes were overflowing with confidence.

“He seemed like a good kid. At the very least, he’d help us subdue people trying to kidnap prisoners from abroad, not join them in taking the prisoners away. Don’t you think?”

“…Sigh.”

Lee Jun-young turned off his tablet and set it down on the side table.

“I don’t trust Platinum Sun.”

“Oh my, why not? He protected the mainland while we were deployed to Jeju Island. He even turned all the demons into Zenros.”

“If he were truly a hero for Korea, he would take off his mask first.”

“Ah. Heroes should reveal their identities? That spider man in New York would be sad to hear that.”

“That’s different from comics. …Sigh. Anyway, I don’t trust people who hide their identities while being active. Setting up the situation like this and then only appearing from behind when it’s convenient. That’s too selfish and…”

“There you go again. Just like someone who received patriotic education. Do you know what they call people like you? Serious-minded, old-fashioned, pedantic scholars.”

“…Isn’t ‘scholar’ a complimentary term?”

“Ha.”

Kim Yoon-ji let out a mocking laugh.

“People who’ve been indoctrinated with nationalist ideology since childhood.”

“Watch your words. No matter how long you’ve lived abroad, there’s such a thing as universal justice.”

“I have no desire to engage in complex discussions about heroic beliefs or justice, oppa. I just want to think simply.”

Kim Yoon-ji lightly tapped the floor with her shoe.

“The prisoners below this deck, safely transport them to Sejong Island. Every single one of them. End of story!”

“…You’re lucky to be so simple-minded.”

“You’re the one making things unnecessarily complicated. Oh right, I came to tell you something.”

Kim Yoon-ji pointed behind her with a mischievous face.

“The person in charge from Sejong Academy, that professor, seems interested in you?”

“…Who?”

“You know, the brown-haired one. Professor Lisara Lakshmi.”

“…Ahem.”

Lee Jun-young cleared his throat and picked up his tablet.

“Where is she now?”

* * *

The calm before the storm.

At this moment when both entering and leaving Sejong Island was restricted.

“Spatial movement is so convenient. Hey, Ymir was it? Would you consider becoming my exclusive secretary? You’d just need to help me teleport. I’ll give you 5,000 per week.”

Since getting onto the island was so difficult, Qiongqi finally entered Ulleungdo through Ymir’s gate.

“5,000 per week…?”

“Yeah. What do you think?”

“Taowu over there said he’d give me 10 million won each time he uses it.”

“What? Taowu, you…”

“Nyahaha.”

Taowu, who was eating ice cream in casual attire, waved at Qiongqi in greeting.

“Is that true?”

“If you consider the time saved compared to taking a plane, isn’t 10 million won per teleport worth it?”

“Even so…!”

“Coming in as an executive and already causing division. You’re a fearsome hero indeed, Platinum Sun.”

I couldn’t help but admire Ymir’s eloquence as she naturally fomented discord between the executives.

“Not that such a thing would bring down The Syndicate.”

“The Syndicate? We decided not to act as The Syndicate this time, didn’t we?”

“…What conversations have been happening?”

“That’s how it was decided.”

This was information Qiongqi didn’t know, having just arrived at Ulleungdo.

I informed her of the plan that had been confirmed with Ymir, Taowu, and the Tavern Owner who was gathering intelligence at Sejong Island.

“Then what about Goblin’s plan?”

“That proceeds as planned. Ymir’s plan assumes a direct attack occurs.”

We prioritize my plan first, but if the worst-case scenario occurs, we follow Ymir’s suggestion.

“Three executive-level members of The Syndicate are participating in the battle, but The Syndicate itself isn’t taking action.”

“What about the Chairman?”

“He approved. Depending on how well the intern’s plan succeeds this time, he agreed to provide services to the intern.”

“I’m glad he’s someone who can be reasoned with.”

The Chairman was more favorable toward Ymir than I had thought.

“If this operation succeeds, The Syndicate will launch a cyber public opinion campaign about Platinum Sun.”

“Success is guaranteed; how thoroughly we handle it is my goal! Hehehe. Is it because I sent those photos of patriotic adultery?”

“……”

“I even sent a video, so maybe that’s why he was so nice.”

Well, that’s how it turned out.

“Now, let me explain the operation.”

I displayed two profile pictures.

“Among the Zenros, there were those who became demons but didn’t cause human casualties. They were two D-class demons, now 15-year-old middle school students.”

They were still children with baby fat on their faces, but Dueoksini had planted the seeds of demons even in such young ones.

“Qiongqi. Contact with the families?”

“All preparations are complete. After we extract them, we just need to send them abroad immediately. We’ll put them in the cargo hold of a private jet at Yangyang Airport, and everything will be over.”

The families of the students we plan to “switch” have already been recruited.

Though not financially wealthy, they weren’t the type to treat their children as lost lottery tickets just because they lost their abilities.

“The parents of both children said that some kids get seriously injured and end up in hospitals while growing up, but our children enjoyed everything and grew up happily until they were 15. They said it’s fortunate enough that they returned alive.”

“They don’t seem like… typical parents of ability users.”

“Well, with nearly thirty Zenros, at least two sets of parents should be like this.”

Not all parents can be monsters.

If they live with love and under The Syndicate’s support despite losing their abilities, the concerns Ymir has won’t materialize.

“Qiongqi. Taowu. Transform into those children. Then Ymir and I will infiltrate secretly and monitor the situation around you. There’s a possibility that we’re not the only ones planning a switch.”

We plan to switch people.

But if Wijungcheoksa is involved, they might be up to something on the ship as well.

“Whether they switch entire containers, put innocent people inside and send them to Sejong Island, or openly attack the ship. They’re definitely after the Zenros.”

“Not just foreign ability users, but Pandemonium too?”

“Yes. Dueoksini is dead, but there might be others besides Dueoksini. If Wijungcheoksa appears… we crush them with this.”

I made a gesture of swinging a club to convey my firm resolve.

“My plan consists of infiltration, reconnaissance, and execution. If all Zenros enter Sejong Island and go to the government-documented Zenros detention facility, the operation ends.”

“But if even one goes somewhere else…”

“We attack and annihilate them.”

We’ll eliminate them as soon as we catch their trail.

“Alright. I already know Goblin’s plan, so that’s fine. What about the intern?”

“Now that I have red, it’s perfect. Red. Blonde with blue eyes. Green. And like this… transform!”

Ymir stretched her hands upward, and soon her body began to shine and shrink.

“Ta-da!”

“…When did you learn that?”

“I studied after watching teacher transform. Hehehe.”

Before me stood Ymir Lily.

And she made a V-sign with her hand while wearing a form-fitting striped dress, white stockings, and shoes.

“If you follow me, no one will know we’re from The Syndicate. Come on, transform like me!”

“…You want me to do this now…?”

“Hmhmhm. It’s fun. Why? Embarrassed? No one will know it’s us anyway.”

“No, sigh. What is this exactly?”

“What is it, you ask? It’s called…”

Ymir.

“Jammie Puff Girl!”

She came from Canada.

“If you match with me, I’ll teach you the spatial movement skill.”

“……”

“Ah. You know the leader is red, right?”

“……”

Sometimes.

For the sake of desire, humans compromise with reality.